On a genealogy tour: a couple from Seattle visits the German-American Association

Created: 08/12/2022, 16:35

By: Andreas Sachsen

Thanksgiving dinner together: The German-American Association Ismaning celebrated the US holiday with Linda Schrock (back left in a green top) and her husband Mike (right next to him).

© gerald förtsch

A couple from Seattle visited the German-American Association Ismaning.

The woman is looking for the roots of an ancestor who apparently comes from Munich.

Ismaning – Linda and Mike Schrock landed in Ismaning on their genealogy tour through Germany.

The couple from Seattle celebrated the US holiday Thanksgiving with the German-American Association.

As for the ancestors originating from Germany, they can be helped.

Christa Nicklas founded the German-American Association Ismaning (DAVIs) 13 years ago.

As the headmistress of the Johann-Andreas-Schmeller-Realschule for many years, the German-American student exchange was close to her heart.

Nicklas had taken over the task from her predecessor, the late founding headmaster of the school, Otto Glaser.

Two years after her retirement, she founded DAVIs to, as she puts it, "to nurture German-American relations on a local level."

So many beautiful memories are also personally associated with the student exchange for her.

Genealogist helps US couple

The Schrocks from Seattle were not known in the club until Herbert Holly introduced the couple to Ismaning.

The Hofoldinger deals with genealogical research, preferably of Germans who emigrated to the USA.

At least as far as Linda Schrock is concerned, he has already picked up the scent.

Apparently, an ancestor actually comes from Munich.

In the 19th century, many Germans ended up in the USA;

often for economic reasons.

Old Europe was devastated by wars.

The so-called Little Ice Age, which began in the 14th century, lasted until the 1850s.

A cooler and wetter climate than today resulted in failed harvests.

For religious reasons, on the other hand, Germans ended up in the north and north-west of the USA.

Mennonites, for example, Amish and the Hutterites from Switzerland, all of whom belong to a Protestant-Anabaptist religious community that dates back to the time of the Reformation.

Couple joins club

Herbert Holly likes to do research in Mennonite archives in Germany and during his stays in the USA.

The authorities in Prussia in the 19th century considered the evangelical free church members to be educated and progressive.

When ecclesiastical goods were secularized after Napoleon's successes around 1803, the state appointed Mennonites to manage the goods.

Freedom of religion, their faith, was often more important to them.

DAVIs didn't have traditional turkey for Thanksgiving.

Never mind: "Roasted beans and corn would work just as well with roast turkey for that real Thanksgiving vibe," says Nicklas.

In any case, the Schrocks seem to have liked it.

Why else would they have announced their joining DAVIs for dessert?

In the meantime, Holly had picked up the trail of Linda's ancestor.

His name is said to be Christian and he was said to have worked as an administrator of secularized estates in 1834.

The fact that Christian Schrock emigrated to the USA in 1837 at the age of 84 shows how important freedom is to one.

By the way, he is said to have lived in Giesing, house number 84. That much is known.

I'm sure Holly can figure out the name of the street.

More news from Ismaning and the district of Munich can be found here.